Tonya E Lee

Think Deeply. Trust God. Live Boldly.

Writer | Professor | Helping you navigate faith, life & adulting with wisdom and a little stubborn joy. Stick around!

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Want to grow a stronger, more resilient faith?

I created a free guide just for you! ✨ "5 Thoughtful Habits for Stronger Faith" will help you:
✔ Build a faith that can stand strong—even in uncertainty
✔ Think deeply about what you believe (and why)
✔ Develop habits that keep you spiritually grounded
Get your free copy now! Click the link in my bio to download it.

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

This was in my reading this morning. The word “fear” is a heavy one. Lots of fear going around lately about everything imaginable. But this “fear” means something different. It means reverence and honor, not scary and distant. It’s love. Can you imagine replacing all your fear with love and reverence? That is what God is calling us to do. He is saying, “At the end of the day, love and honor Me, and you will have lived in purpose.” Can’t beat that. #fearGod #overcomefear #thoughtfulChristian

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

It’s just after noon on Good Friday. This is the moment the world starts to go dark, literally. The sun bows its light to the Son of God. He is barely alive, but still holding on. I wonder what He is thinking at this moment. I wonder what battles He is facing, beyond the pain and humiliation, so that I can live in forgiveness today. It’s almost too much for me to take it. A bit overwhelming when I think of it. But, in my little world that I try to speak into - He fought for me. He fought for you too. And He won.

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

I was writing a chapter on doubt this week for my new book "The Art of Adulting," and I had to share part of it. I love writing and I love the people of the Bible. I can relate in so many ways.
#StoriesoftheBible #theartofadulting #Doubt

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Finished and delivered to my friend for her birthday. She loved it!! That makes me happy.
#blackandwhiteart #lamb #lambofGod

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Here’s one more for Valentine’s Day. A throwback to when ��Netflix and chill” was just a hand kiss and a waltz.
#blackandwhiteart
#intimatemomentsneverdie
#originalart

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

You guys asked for more so here is another - Happy Valentine’s Day!
Monochrome magic: Exploring affection through the species.
#KissingPrimates #BlackAndWhiteArt #OriginalPainting

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

About to take a deep dive into the book of Romans. It’s one of the most quoted books of the Bible. It’s like every chapter contains a famous verse. But heading into the season of Lent, I think I need to pay attention to the book as a whole and not its parts. Anyone care to join me?

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Working on this painting for a friend. This is my second attempt at a lamb. The first one turned out looking a bit like the grinch. Not pretty. I've got a long way to go on this one, but I think I've finally turned a corner. Funny how life can teach you things in the weirdest places. 
#dontgiveup #secondchancesmatter #paintinglambsishard

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

If you're remotely like me, you want to make sure that you hold the reigns on every horse in the race. But life doesn't work like that. Walking with God doesn't work like that. But God told us how it actually works (Proverbs 3:5).
#trustinGod #Godisincontrol #thethoughtfulchristian

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

I would just like one day when the laundry room doesn't look like it's mocking me. This is why adulting is hard... because laundry is forever.

Okay, it may be a little more than that, but today it's laundry.

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Stop trying to define yourself in a world that never stops shifting.

We’re told to "be whoever we want," but that freedom often feels like a trap of constant reinvention and external validation. In The Thoughtful Christian let me show you that your identity isn't a moving target, it’s a firm foundation in Christ. Move past the social media noise and discover a peace that actually lasts.

The Thoughtful Christian is out now. Link in bio.

#ThoughtfulChristian #GenZ #FaithJourney #IdentityInChrist #MentalHealth

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Silence has never really been my thing. 😄 If my mouth isn’t moving or my keyboard pounding, then my mind is spinning with too many thoughts at once. But here’s the problem: God is waiting for me in the silence. Can I admit that I have some work to do here?? What about you? How do you invite the silence?

#thethoughtfulchristian #Godinthesilence #findingGod #Godisgood

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

When was the last time you tossed and turned in bed, worrying about one thing or another? When was the last time you cried or felt like bursting into tears, completely overwhelmed?

God noticed. Your grief isn’t wasted and your pain isn’t ignored.

But it doesn’t end there. In Ps. 126:5-6 it says that God uses those tears as seeds that produce joy. It’s almost impossible to imagine, I know. But that is the promise of God.

He notices. He gathers. He produces something joyful from pain.

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Never paid much attention to this verse before. But came across it this morning and it hit me hard. Sometimes God can feel distant or unknowable, invisible. But Jesus made the invisible, visible. We don’t follow an abstract idea of a deity. We follow a real and knowable Savior.

Sometimes it still blows my mind a bit, this life thing. Sometimes it seems so strange a concept. But Jesus makes the ethereal real. That’s both humbling and amazing! I do love Him for it.

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Gratitude sounds great until the turkey’s dry, the family’s arguing, and your inner peace has left the room.

Let's talk about the kind of gratitude the Bible teaches. That chosen kind, the quiet kind, the “Lord help me” kind. If life isn’t simply family and joy this week, this one’s for you.

New podcast: "Thankful-ish: Learning Gratitude in All Things (When Life Isn’t Cranberry Sauce and Football)" live now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd or wherever you stream.
#Thanksgiving #TheThoughfulChristian #GodsGrace

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Honest confession here - I am a hard-headed, stubborn, Southern woman who thinks she can do much more than she actually can. And do it all by myself. But - I'm wrong. I can't (still hurts to say that).

Let's talk about what I've learned about "Why You're Not a Burden: A Christian Take on Needing People" live now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd.

#CommunityMatters #TheArtOfAdulting #ChristianCommunity

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Luke 24 - it's Resurrection Day, and two guys leave Jerusalem, absolutely gutted. They are confused, scared, hoping for a political messiah. Yet on that road to Emmaus, they encounter the risen Son of God. But they don't even recognize Him. 

New podcast: Hearing Jesus. Feeling Jesus. But Not Recognizing Him (Our own road to Emmaus) live now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd or wherever you stream. 

Let's talk about one of my favorite, least talked about stories. 

#ChristianPodcast #RoadtoEmmaus #TheThoughtfulChristian

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Tuesday I woke up with a stomach bug and a dead fridge. Not the best day ever.  But I had stuff that had to get done, regardless of how I felt. 

So, it hit me, there's an art to "grit." That gut level do what you gotta do kinda living. And God has some good stuff to say about it. 

My new Art of Adulting post: THE LOST ART OF GRIT (Why Adulthood is mostly just doing it anyway) is live now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd. Let's talk about how to grind God's way.

#ArtofAdulting #Christianblogger #ChristianLife

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

Many of us were raised in church, so does that mean we are automatically Christians? 

Are we following Jesus or family tradition? Culture or commitment? Salvation isn't inherited or trained. But, if you've been in church all your life, how do you know the difference? Let's talk about it.

New podcast: Trained or Transformed? (How to Tell If You’ve Been Raised in Church or Raised to Life). Listen now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd or wherever you stream.
#TheThoughtfulChristian #ChristianPodcast #Churchkid

[Tonya E Lee @tonyaelee]

We've all heard God referred to as our "Father." But, what does that even mean? 

If you've never had a present father or the one you had makes the thought of God as your "father" cringe, then let me tell you what it really means. Because God isn't your earthly father. He's a holy God that calls you His kid. 

New blog: When God Says, “I am your Father” (What it means when the Creator of the universe calls you His kid) live now at https://t.co/7OeUbYCJZd.

So when someone says, "Do you believe in the sky Daddy? You can say, "Well, kinda. Let me tell you why."

#PracticalFaith #SkyDaddy #GodtheFather